Last season, the Denver Nuggets had the luxury of sneaking up on the rest of the NBA. With no prior playoff history to speak of, hardly anyone saw them vaulting most of the Western Conference and challenging for the No. 1 seed.
As one of the darlings of the offseason, predicted by several outlets to finish atop the conference, the Nuggets are a known commodity, no longer able to hide under the veil of inexperience. They have a burgeoning MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic, a potential All-Star in Jamal Murray and a handful of talented complementary pieces who make the Nuggets one of the deepest teams in the league.